After noon, the army continued westward and arrived at Jiang'an County in the afternoon.

Jiang'an County is much smaller than Lu County, with a population of less than 10,000. It is not a prosperous county, but it is still very popular.

Jiang'an County had three hundred officers and soldiers, dozens of government officials, the county magistrate and the chief secretary went out to meet the army and respectfully paid homage to the envoy Wei Fufeng.

Wei Fufeng talked to the county magistrate and learned that the county magistrate and the county lieutenant were frightened and ran away when they heard that Zhao was executed.

Wei Fufeng thought for a while and asked Wang Dahu's personal soldier Li Qing to be summoned.

When Li Qing arrived, he was greeted by a respectful military officer. He was about thirty years old, had a three-inch beard, slightly dark skin, and regular facial features. He looked more elegant than ordinary military men.

"Li Qing, Wang Dahu said that you are literate and can read and write. You will be the magistrate of Jiang'an County. The county captain will be appointed by Zhang Li. I will leave two hundred soldiers for you." Wei Fufeng looked at it briefly and gave him the appointment.

"I thank you for your trust, sir, and I am willing to do my best." Li Qing replied respectfully.

"Okay, you and Zhang Li go to the city to take over. Remember, our army will not forget you, so you can take care of yourself." Wei Fufeng suggested.

"No!" Konoe Zhang Li and Li Qing responded in unison.

Wei Fufeng sent an order to leave two hundred civilian soldiers in Jiang'an County.

After settling the Jiang'an County appointment, Wei Fufeng ordered the army to camp outside the city and allowed the soldiers to enter the city in batches to roam, but they were only allowed to buy and sell items and wander around. Anyone who dared to cause trouble would be killed!

Wei Fufeng did not enter the city to rest. He stayed in the military camp of the Jiedu Envoy outside the city, protected by more than a thousand personal guards and internal guards.

Six large flags embroidered with firebirds were erected in the military camp, which were the majestic symbols of the festival for the Jiedushi envoys.

If Lao Feng was here, he would set up four white tiger flags, the Transfer Department would have four green dragon flags, and the Governor's Mansion would have four flags with firebirds embroidered on them.

Wei Fufeng deliberately deified the military power, Zhuge Babing Mansion, plus White Tiger was in charge of military warfare, and Qinglong was in charge of military supplies.

Wei Fufeng's thousand guards were actually part-time fire chiefs of various armies. They were regularly ordered to leave the central army camp and replace other fire chiefs as personal guards.

The inner guards are naturally the closest guards to Wei Fufeng, and their number is less than thirty.

Wei Fufeng and Xiaoxue were together in the commander's tent of the Chinese army, and there were more than ten internal guards guarding them outside the tent.

The inner guard did not participate in the rotation of the fire chief and was the most trustworthy guard, but Wei Fufeng did not dare to let down his guard carelessly and deliberately did not let the inner guard be in the commander's tent.

By serving as county magistrate today, Wei Fufeng gained the pleasure of power from a superior person. The deeper meaning was to win over people's hearts.

By appointing Li Qing, ordinary soldiers can feel the authority of the Jiedushi Master and know how to use people well.

It is of greater significance to release the tension externally. When colleagues become county captains, it can give the internal guards a sense of dignity and give them the hope of becoming local military attachés in the future.

"Xiaoxue, help me comb my hair, I'm tired." Wei Fufeng whispered lazily. In a military camp filled with dissidents, the only one he dared to trust was Xiaoxue, a weak woman.

Xiaoxue responded softly, walked behind Wei Fufeng, and combed Wei Fufeng's hair with his eyes closed.

...

Early the next morning, the army set off after dinner.

Yesterday, fourteen human heads fell to the ground and were hung on the city gate. They were all soldiers who made trouble after entering the city and were beheaded by the governor of the Dudu Mansion.

Wei Fufeng was out of sight but out of mind. Killing people was a necessary means to frighten the army. He appeased the leading soldiers and horsemen, and gently let the soldiers enter the city to relax. Those who caused trouble could only beheaded to show their authority.

Another purpose of killing is to win the reputation of peace and prosperity for the people. Rich people and good people hate rebels the most.

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The reputation of reassuring the people can gain widespread public support and indirectly affect the morale of the military.

The army moved all the way west, entering the boundary of Nanxi County before noon, and arriving at Fenrong City, the seat of Nanxi County in the afternoon.

Fenrong City actually had a thousand defenders, and its geographical location was quite important. It could reach Rongzhou in the north and Gaoxian and Gongxian in the south.

Rongzhou (Zigong) belongs to Dongchuan Jiedu, and Zizhou (Ziyang) adjacent to Rongzhou belongs to Xichuan Jiedu. The two places have been well salt production areas since ancient times.

During the Taipei period, because sea salt was cheap, well salt was of little benefit.

However, with the separatism of vassal towns during the Anshi Rebellion, the source of sea salt in the middle and upper reaches of the river was basically cut off.

Well salt once again became a profitable commodity. It can be said that the salt industry in Rongzhou and Zizhou was a major financial source for Xichuan and Dongchuan.

When the army arrived at Fenrong City, Wei Fufeng ordered his troops to block various city gates, sent letters to persuade them to surrender, and urged the county magistrates to surrender.

As a result, the officials of Nanxi County refused to assign it because there was no official document from the governor of Rongzhou. They asked the military governor of southern Sichuan to go to Bodao County first to obtain the assignment.

Of course, Wei Fufeng could not go to Bodao County. He also understood that even if he went to Bodao County, he would be rejected by the governor of Rongzhou.

The governor of Rongzhou could also use the official documents of Xichuan Jiedushi to excuse his refusal.

Wei Fufeng ordered the construction of ladders to start, and once again shot letters with bows and arrows to intimidate Nanxi County officials. Kaicheng's official position would remain unchanged. Once it was breached, or when Rongzhou's governor was assigned, all Nanxi County officials would be killed.

Outside the city, the army was in full swing building ladders, chariots, and beating drums for military exercises.

Wei Fufeng was just trying to scare people. He would not really attack Fenrong City. Fenrong City's walls were seven or eight meters high and the city defenses were complete. The price of the attack would be heavy.

One day later, the defenders on Fenrong City stood and watched. They were in order and not in disorder, obviously not afraid of the army outside the city.

Wei Fufeng felt helpless when he saw it. At this time, the military envoy Peng Yu came to see him and suggested that he retreat and lure the enemy.

If the defenders in the city attack, they can fight back with their carbines. If not, then they can go to Rongzhou to take part in the Battle of Luzhou.

Wei Fufeng accepted it and raised his troops to the west, pretending to go to Bodao County. In the end, the defenders only sent scouts to follow.

Wei Fufeng thought about it and ordered the soldiers and horses of each army to select and draw troops. Three thousand weak troops were assigned to three inner guard commanders and stayed outside Fenrong City to guard the losses.

The other 7,000 troops were considered strong men, and they set off north to Rongzhou. On the way, they passed through the Yerong Mountains and entered Fushun County under the jurisdiction of Rongzhou.

Fushun County is located in the Tuojiang River Basin, an important waterway. You can enter Lu County by going down the Tuojiang River.

Wei Fufeng ordered Peng Yujun to be the vanguard and responsible for investigating the military situation. The main force was hidden in hilly areas as much as possible.

Peng Yu reported that there were 500 defenders in Fushun County, and in the northwest of Fushun County, there were 5,000 defenders in Gongjing County (Zigong), which was a well-armed town army.

Half a day later, Peng Yu sent someone to report again, and the scouts captured a courier from Gongjing County.

Wei Fufeng read the official document that was sent, which stated that two thousand town troops from Gongjing County were ordered to garrison in Fushun County, and asked the Fushun County Magistrate to make arrangements for their arrival.

After receiving Peng Yu's reward, Wei Fufeng felt a little excited. The Zhen army was different from the ordinary army and basically belonged to the elite division of the Ya army.

Normally, only very important passes or places of wealth would be guarded by a town army.

Now that we know that two thousand soldiers are about to go to Fushun County, it is a rare God-given opportunity.

Wei Fufeng was very excited. What he valued most was the armament of the army, and secondly the ability to

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hand weakened the enemy's military strength.

Wei Fufeng calmed down his mind, considered it carefully, and ordered: "Go and tell Peng Yu that our army is pretending to be Dongchuan Town Army to seize Fushun County, and ask him to send this letter to the Fushun County Magistrate."

The person who reported the report was ordered to leave. Wei Fufeng ordered the main force to set off and go to the area between Fushun County and Gongjing County.

After arriving, they selected the 2,000 troops who were relatively best equipped and turned southeast toward Fushun County.

Wei Fufeng led five thousand troops to follow him. He originally wanted to defraud Fushun County himself, but then changed his mind. Firstly, he did not want to take risks, and secondly, he wanted to give the soldiers a chance to make meritorious deeds.

Peng Yujun has already achieved his first success, and Peng Yu cannot be allowed to stand out alone.

The two armies were more than ten miles apart, and they deliberately controlled their marching speed. Near dusk, they arrived outside the west gate of Fushun County.

The west city gate was wide open, and county magistrates in blue official uniforms came out of the city to greet them, obviously not daring to show any disrespect.

The two thousand army envoys were Zhou He and Liu Yi. The two leaders looked at each other with joy in each other's eyes. They nodded to each other and walked towards the officials outside the suspension bridge together.

"Thank you, sirs." Zhou Hehu said loudly as he stepped forward.

There was hesitation in the expressions of the county officials. After all, they were in Rongzhou, and the local officials had seen many generals in the town army, and they were very unfamiliar with the generals who were striding towards them.

An official with a saber hanging from his waist suddenly turned around and ran away.

Zhou He waved his hand, and the troops behind him suddenly rushed forward, like a pack of wolves that pounced on the magistrates, rushed to the suspension bridge, and rushed into the city gate.

Zhou He rushed forward, grabbed the county magistrate, and threatened: "We are the Zizhou Town Army of Xichuan, and we have been ordered to come to capture Rongzhou. Do you want to survive?"

"What, you are the Xichuan Zizhou military force, and you dare to invade Dongchuan." The county magistrate responded in horror.

"I am acting under the orders of the Jiedushi Envoy. You are just a local official. You should stay out of the situation if you are wise, stop taking charge of the Jiedushi military, and quickly give up the resistance." Zhou He said threateningly.

The county magistrate hesitated and heard shouts of killing and screams. He gritted his teeth and shouted: "Put down your weapons and don't fight against the Jiedu army."

The county magistrate shouted, and someone shouted a message. After a while, the fighting in the city subsided, and two thousand Luzhou troops rushed into the county seat, took over the city defense, and placed martial law on the streets.

There were military supervisors patrolling around, and their subordinates kept shouting: "The Jiedushi Master has an order not to disturb the people of the city. You will be rewarded for your merits. Please don't risk your life, brothers."

The five thousand troops who had been remanded also entered Fushun County. Wei Fufeng, accompanied by internal guards, boarded the west gate.

Holding on to the parapet and looking out, the undulating hills and distant mountains came into view. He exhaled happily and patted the wall stacks with his right hand.

"Let's go to the county government office." Wei Fufeng Changyue ordered.

After getting off the tower, Wei Fufeng walked through the streets under martial law, surrounded by the cheers of the guards. The soldiers lined up along the way paid respectful attentions, reflecting the joy and excitement of the military.

Facts have shown that Wei Fufeng knew that his decision was correct. Before he established a high prestige, it was difficult for him to control the military strength under his command. Winning military morale became the first priority.

When I walked to the county government office, I saw the Recorder of the Transportation Department and the Superintendent of the Dudu Mansion. The two officials who had checks and balances on each other were counting and collecting the spoils of war.

Wei Fufeng had strictly ordered not to infringe on people's houses, and the spoils were mainly the county government's treasury and the county magistrate's property.

After a few brief questions, Wei Fufeng left the county government to arrange military affairs. He did not dare to make any mistakes in the face of the approaching two thousand enemy troops.

(End of chapter)
Chapter completed!